A thousand young people in Ekiti State will acquire life-changing digital skills through the newly launched Ekiti Digital Acceleration Programme (EDAP), an initiative aimed at bridging the digital divide and improving digital education access for young people in the state.
Launched yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, EDAP is a comprehensive digital training programme targeting post-secondary youth between the ages of 15-21. The programme seeks to equip participants with relevant skills to thrive in today’s global digital economy.
Mayowa Olajide Akinleye, Founder of Motivar, the social enterprise partnering with the Ekiti State Ministry of Youth Development to deliver the program, underscored the urgency of Motivar’s mission, pointing out that 2.9 billion people globally have never used the internet and that only one-third of Africa’s population has access to it.
“Our reality creates unique challenges — device poverty, weak connectivity, electricity shortages, and lack of information. These challenges are shutting too many African youths out of a digital access that could change their lives.” And in his words, this is particularly dangerous because “One cannot aspire to what one cannot perceive, and the limits of aspiration are always the limits of achievement,”
Ekiti State Commissioner for Youth Development, Adesola Gold Adedayo, emphasized the programme’s transformational promise:
“This is more than a training — it is a calling. A calling to excellence, to global relevance, and to purpose.”
He urged participants to seize the opportunity:
“Embrace the opportunity, push yourselves beyond limits, and take ownership of your future. The skills you gain here can change your lives, and in turn, change our state and our nation.”
EDAP will offer intensive training in 8 skill tracks, such as software development, data analytics, and digital marketing, among others, with the goal of enabling participants to build self-directed learning habits and competencies in the selected tracks.
The program’s approach is innovative as it will use self-learning, peer-to-peer, and expert-led mentorships to deliver upskilling.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, His Chief of Staff Hon. Niyi Adebayo highlighted the government’s commitment to enabling success:
“We are putting action behind our words to make designed programs that will help our young ones to not only feel included but to actually actively participate in the Ekiti project so that together, we can take Ekiti to greater heights”.
Adebayo who stated that his principal is solidly behind programs that are targeted at helping the youths to develop, said,
“This program actually addresses two components of one of key pillars of the six-pillar agenda of the governor towards share prosperity in Ekiti state which is youth development and job creation.”
The Commissioner of Youth Development positioned EDAP within a broader vision of the youth development agenda of the state government
“Ekiti youth are being given a platform to rise, to shine, and to dream. The environment in Ekiti today is one where talent is nurtured, innovation is encouraged, and hard work is rewarded.”
Akinleye described the launch as the start of something much larger:
“This training is not what will make them into Bill Gates, but it’s a seed — a seed that, if nurtured and watered by their will and determination, can grow into an oak tree that feeds them for life.”
The EDAP launch brought together education stakeholders, youth organizations, and community leaders, all united in a shared vision: unlocking the digital potential of Ekiti’s young people and positioning them to compete and succeed on the global stage.
